Improved refined heavy oil from petroleum



UNITED STATES PATENT OFrIoa.

HIRAM B. EVEREST, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO VACUUM- OILCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

' IMPROVED REFINED HEAV V OIL FROM PETROLEUM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 87,157, dated February23, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM B. EVEREST, of the city of Rochester, countyof Monroe and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and ImprovedOil Product from Petroleum; and 1 do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in the production of a new and improved materialfrom petroleum, or from the distilled paraffine products of petroleum,or from coal-oils, which I denominate improved vacuum-oil.

By reference to Letters Patent of M. P. Ewing, dated September 11, 1866,No. 58,020, it will be observed that a heavy residuum-oil was claimed byhim, when produced from crude petroleum by the evaporation therefrom ofthe lighter hydrocarbons in cacao by the use of steam, or itsequivalent, to prevent burning. This oil has been successfullymanufactured, and largely introduced for lubricating and carryingpurposes, since the issue of said Letters Patent; but it is found tocontain tarry matters, which attach to all crude rock-oils, and whichare necessarily left in the product as manufactured under said Ewingspatent; and these tarry matters render. the oil so thick and sticky asto partially unfit it for use in winter for currying purposes, and theyalso render the oil of so dark a color as to be an objection whenoffered for sale to curriers or to machinists; also, when the oil isapplied to boots and shoes it is apt to color the stocking or foot, whentoo freely applied. It is free from odor, however, and in many respectsEwings patent vacuum-oil is an invention of great practical value.

The advantages which I claim for my improved vacuum-oil over thatdescribed in said Ewings patent are, first, it is free from those tarrymatters which are necessarily incorporated in that product second, it isalso lighter in color, which gives it a better appearance in the market,and renders it more valuable for use upon the finer kinds of machinery,for oiling boots and shoes, 860., and also for currying and finishingall uncolored grades of tanned leather. As compared with theparaffine-oils of commerce, as heretofore made, it is free from thosedisagreeable odors which attach to such oils, unless they have beensubjected to the severest treatment with chemicals, which my oil doesnot require. Again, my improved vacuum-oil is entirely deprived of thoselighter hydrocarbon qualities which render all parafiine-oils heretoforeproduced liable to evaporation, and which render them in some degreecorrosive in their nature, and, consequently, injurious When applied toleather. Again, my oil is so deodorized and entirely free from corrosiveproperties that it may be used for making a poma' tum for the hair bythe combination of perfumes with it in suitable proportions.

In order that those skilled in the art and manufacture of petroleum-oilproducts may be able to produce my improved vacuum-oil, I will state themethod I employ, referring to any of the stills in common use at thepresent day for the manufacture of the so-called paraffine-oils ofcommerce as being suitable for conducting the former part of theprocess, and to the above-named Letters Patent of M. P. Ewing; also, thepatent of H. B. Everest, dated September 3,1867,No. 68,426, for arepresentation of the requisite apparatus for conducting the latter partof the process.

When crude petroleum is used in the manufacture of my improved oil, thelighter hydrocarbons, such as naphtha and kerosene, are run off in theusual manner until the distillate reaches the gravity of 38, Baumshydrometer, and all the gravities of oil below. that point are run offrapidly down to the point of caking in the retort, and these latter oilsof heavy gravity are retained for further treatment by the vacuumprocess.

When crude oils are used the usual method of producing those oilstherefrom called paraffine-oils may be adopted.

When the tar of the stills, or residuum, is used, the retort in which itis to be distilled should be supplied with an open pipe for the purposeof throwing highly-heated steam into the body of the tar in the retort,to assist in the separation of the paraffiue properties from the tarrysubstance, and also to assist in carrying over the heavydistilling-vapors of the paraffine-oils. Direct fire is used, and theparaffine-oils are driven off as rapidly as possible, to preventdecomposition and the production of fixed gases.

Thus far I have simply described the first step necessary to be pursuedin the production of my improved oil. It is evident that in practice itmight be more economical to purchase the parafline products fromrefiners of petroleum, as they are necessarilyproduced in smallquantities by each, than to be obliged to producelarge amounts of otherproducts, as would be the case where it is desirable to manufacturelarge quantities of my improved oil from the natural crude petroleum.

The paraffine products described above are now in a condition unfit forthe market, and would require to be redistilled and severely treatedwith chemicals, or both, in order to fit them for combination with thekerosene-oils; or, if used for the purpose to which paraffineoils may beand are generally applied, it would require severe treatment with acidsand alkalies to deodorize and fit them for valuable use. But, to proceedwith the explanation of my process, I now place this product in a vacuumretort or still, similar to those referred to in Letters Patentindicated above, and apply heat by injecting superheated steam into thebody of the oil in the retort by means of an open or perforated pipe,and also through coils, as is usual where liquids are evaporated bysteam under a vacuum or partial vacuum. The result of this part of theprocess is that a small portionsay, from ten to thirty per cent.-of thelighter portions of the parafline-oils in the retort is distilled over,which may be mixed with the lighter kerosene portions produced from thecrude oil and sold for illuminating purposes. The remainder, which isleft in the retort as a residuum of the paraffine-oil, is reduced to thestandard gravity of 28 to 30 Beaum, or even less, according to thedensity of the paraifine-oils used.

The action of the vacuum-pump during the latter process has accomplishedthe efl'ect of removing all those odors which had been incorporated inthe paraffine-oil by the first process, and I have a product free fromoffensive odor-free from light hydrocarbons, which are corrosiveandfitted for valuable use without further treatment; and this desirableresult is accomplished at comparatively small cost and in a rapidmanner.

By this method the distilled paraffine products of petroleum arerenderedmuch more valuable for currying purposes, harness-oils, for oiling wool,lubricating machinery, and many other uses wherefreedom from odor, fromacids, and other corrosive properties is desirable.

Now, having specified the process by which my invention is carried out,and explained distinctly the valuable properties of my improved productover the oils heretofore known or produced, what I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, the oil product resultingfrom fi rstdistilling the parafiineoils from petroleum or its products, or fromcoal-oils, in a vacuum or other still, and the subsequent treatment ofsaid paraffine-oils in the vacuumstill, for throwing off the lighter andinjurious qualities, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HIRAM B. EVEREST.

Witnesses:

R. F. OSGOOD, Gno. W. MiA'r'r.

